gwadzilla

7.23.2005

puppies are so cuteeveryone loves puppiesjust like everyone else... I love puppiesI may pass by a pet store and see a pen full of puppies in the windowif granted the time I may stop by in for a closer lookmaybe not on the first pass... but maybe on the second

after I leave I may daydream about those puppiesmay give them namescreate imaginary personalities fot the puppies I do not knowcreate names for the puppies I will never ownmaybe even imagine how these puppies would fit into my lifebutat home I have two dogstwo dogs that I lovetwo dogs that I have no desire to replacewould it be leading these puppies on if I were to visit them and look into their eyes?have I mislead them? it would be a waste of energy explaining my intentionsas they are puppiesand puppies just do not understand

another soldier downit is a somber morning for manymore for some than for otherslives have been changedfutures have been alteredchildren have lost a fathera woman has lost her lover and her friendsomewhere a mother and father have lost their sona cyclist will never ride again

I did not know Steven GordonI will never get to know Steven Gordon as he is no longer around to meet

Steven Gordon?I am him and he is mehe was one cyclisthe is all cyclistshe is any cyclist that rolls on the street risks suffering the same fatebe that rider a racer, a commuter, a courier, a weekend warrior, or a child headed to the neighborhood poolsomething needs to be donebehaviors need to changean education needs to be instilledcar driver's need to understand the potential dangers of their actions

would a warning sign every 10 yards on the road side aid in making things safer?

apparently not... many of these signs already existthese signs do nothing to alter car driver's behavior

perhaps an IQ test should be administered rather than a driver's test?maybe the Death Penalty for wreckless driving rather than a few points on one's license?

something needs to be donesomething drastic

yesterday I went for a post work ride on my lead sled; Jamis Nova Cross Bike (at least 5 years old)went up the Capitol Crescent Trail at a leisure pace to get some parts at the City Bikes shop in Chevy Chasewhile saying hey to some of the folks at the shop I could not help but to be drawn to the projection screen playing that day's stage of the Tour de Francethe screen was like a vortex drawing me inI left the shop with Phil Liggett's voice echoing in my head

down the gravel Capitol Crescent Trail onto Beach Drive towards home I felt a little Tour inspired RUSHwith cyclist collecting at my side I waited for the Red Light at East West Highway to turn Greenlike a racer at the line I stood poised and readythe light turned green and I was offwith no concern of the actions of the other riders I raced aheadat a good clip I cruised down Beach Drive towards homemotored up the small climb and the through the stop signdropping down the hill at a solid paceyet not pushing it down the hill as it proves nothing to go fast down hillthe trick is to go fast up hillonce on the flats I held the momentum of the hillunsure of my speed I felt secure that I was not far from the 25 MPH Speed Limitmaybe a little moremaybe a little lessyet within a reasonable standard deviation

a few cars collected behind mefollowing close and looking to make an aggressive passthe first car behind me pulls out along side of me prematurelynearly having a head on collision with an on coming carI ride closer to the center of my lane in an effort to keep them from passing on the blind turnsthis protects me and protects them from themselvesas the road straightens and passing becomes an option for following cars I glide closer to the edgeyet not too close as the road gets a little choppy as it is riddled with pot holes and debrieone by one the cars zip past meeach car aggressively returning the lane right in front of meit seems that none of these drivers are alert to the stopped car aheadtheir speed on the pass makes no sense with stopped traffic aheadwith a left turning vehicle ahead I measure the passing space on the right hand side of the roadnone of these drivers have given me any space to pass on the rightso much for SHARE THE ROADI am feeling punkI am going for the hole shotI am going to ride the tubethere is not much spacebut I am going for it just the samewith no more than 20 or 30 yards ahead of me one last car sneaks in between me and this line of carsthe red SUV sees that I am not breaking speedthis SUV sees that I am going to shoot the small gap to the right of stopped trafficI slow my pedalingtap the breaks with a speed checkmake a measure of my pathI am going to go for itI am going for it with good speedbelieve it or not the driver in the red SUV pulls his truck over the small curb onto the grassso his vehicle is obstructing my ability to pass on the rightin a panic I pull my brakesforced to come to a complete stop behind this short line of cars

then show some restraintusually I would give someone the finger or a little lipbut I am trying to live for tomorrowthis driver has show that they are less than rationalthey are aggressive and obnoxious and clearly not considerate of my safety or my rightsno need to learn how aggressive or obnoxious they are willing to becomeso I keep it to myselfthe car in the front of he queue makes its leftthen all the cars move forwardI start up again never to catch these drivers againadrenalin is pumpingI take the last miles at an anger induced pacehatred is strongblood is boilinglegs are pumping

then Phil Ligget enters my head againthe cars that created this anger are gonegone from my viewgone from my mindmy legs are spinning at a fast rateI slow as I make a polite run of the four way stopno care about the officers getting in and out of their cruisers ahead at the Park Police stationthey do not PROTECT OR SERVE MEtheir laws do not apply to me as they do not protect mewhere are they when I need themeach day thousands of cars speed dangerously past their stationeach day cyclists are passed dangerously close and dangerously fastHARASS and TICKET seem more appropriate than PROCTECT AND SERVEI am taking what is mineas nothing is given to me

the road is a slight grade downhill as I pass he Park Police officethis stretch along side the creek is a beautiful winding roada tree canopy engulfs the roada rushing creek flowing with the waters of the afternoon storm runs parallel to the road to the rightin the distance I see another riderPhil Liggett enters my head speaking louder as I pedal harderI am the one man CHASE.... the rider ahead is the BREAKAWAYnot sure what has become of the PeletonI focus and reel him ineffortlessly I pass him at a rate where I am sure that he will not try to matchwith an audible and a nod I pass safely on his left and am on my waybanking the turns with some speed and some cautionas the skinny tires of the cross bike never give me the confidence I need on the turns

from Beach I take a left on Park Roadno left turn 4-6:30it is 6:31I take the left aggressively past a car waiting to take a left in front of a police carmy pace drops as I hit the hillthis road is a messforced to take the whole lane to stay out of the pot hole ridden side of the laneI block the car that just passedit is not safe for them to go around me at this point of the climbcurious if the cyclist will over take me on the climb as my speed is less than impressiveI also think if officer friendly redirected his route to give me some instructions as to how to behave on the roadI roll forwardseveral cars make agressive passesthe road flattens as I cross the Park Road Bridgethen the road climbs againI pass my house and at the light I pass a few of the cars that just passed methe light turns green just as I hit itI finish the Park Road Hill and head homemade it home alive againanother day of combat on the streets

it can be like going to war out therewhen it shouldn't beagain my source of release has become my source of frustration

7.22.2005

Crashing and Injury....unfortunately part of the sport of mountainbikingA few weeks ago one of the City Bikes Mountainbike Team Members Hillary Elgert was competing out west in a Downhill event when she did not make the landing off a major dropHillary took a major tumble an ended up breaking her clavicle.It is a total bummer!A bit of a set back for a racer who excitedly took the leap to pro this season.Last I heard Hillary was mending quickly and planning on racing some more Downhill before the season is up.Wishing her the best of luck to a speedy recovery and a confident return to the sport.Hopefully her momentum does not lose too much speed from this "speed bump" that life has put in front of her.

Movie Review: OFF ROAD TO ATHENSwith all the anticipationwith all my excitementwith all of my self created build up and the rave reviews from my peersthere was a great opportunity for a let downwell... let me tell you this...

THIS FILM ROCKEDTHERE WAS NO LET DOWN

it is an amazing storya story that was told wella story that was filmed and edited wella story with a beginning, a middle, and an end

EVEN THE SOUNDTRACK ROCKED

there are aspects of the story introduced early that explain themselves laterthere are ideas that come full circleand there is some wonderful poetic irony (Filip Meirhaeghe)

if you can not catch this film in the theaterbuy a copy of OFF ROAD TO ATHENS on DVD and a HUGE Flat Panel television setcrank up the volumethen sit back to take in the taleit is quite a saga

7.21.2005

Single Speed vs. Geared Bike-26 Inch Wheel Bike vs. 29 Inch Wheel Bike-last night I ran a little test by racing my Geared Karate Monkey with Suspensionon a course that I raced two times previously on my Rigid Karate Monkey Single Speedon this course there appeared to be no difference....well.... no significance difference in finishing timesyet... there was a difference in how my body felt afterwardsmy body last night did not feel as beaten up or exhausted as it had on the two prior races

granted this is a difficult test to hold up in any real world of sciencethere are a number of variablesthere is the heat of the dayconditions of the trails (wet/dry/etc)the prior expenditure of the day which leads into the energy of the daythe traffic of other racers of the dayand there is...the strength and stamina of the daythe phase of the moonthe amount of sleep that my two young boys granted me the night priorokay.... these are sounding more like excuses than scienceafter all... I am man... not machinebut I will let the imperfections of my unscientific method remain and leave it at this

On certain courses I will be able to race at the same pace with the Single Speed as I would with a Geared bike with Suspension.but... and this is a big BUTTbutt... this only works on certain coursesas it is clear that on some courses I love my gearsmy legs love my gearslong flat sections and fast descents.... there are times where I like to push the bigger rings faston terribly long climbs I do not mind going for the granny gear

now after doing this little unscientific test I have now decided that I would like to conduct a similar test where I compare my performance on a 26 Inch Wheel bike vs. my preferred 29 Inch Wheel Bikelast Sunday at the Fairhill Classic I felt that I was a tad disadvantaged by not being able to get a fluid rhythm with the big wheels on the tight turnsit seemed to me that I would have been able to expend less energy if I were able to maintain speed rather than working such a herky jerky stop and go style of riding

this test has yet to be performedbutI feel it is a valid test to performand if the 26 incher wins the game... I would most definitely race this bike again

that said....Sunday at Fairhill was the first time in over 2 months where I rode the geared monkey at allthe conditions were a tad wetand my confidence was a tad offit may have been an inability for me to relax and lean into the corner of each turnmuch of the turns had off camber rootsand I feared the crash with my yet still to recover index finger

there are a number of things that make summers great...astro pops and snow conesblue crabs and Old Baywatermelon and corn on the cobwomen in bikinis and women in sun dressesamusement parks and state fairseverything water: ocean/lake/pool/river/stream/water park/backyard hosethen of course there is... Wednesdays At Wakefield

last night was race four of the local mountainbike race series Wednesday At WakefieldI was lucky enough to schedule my evening to attend this eventwhat a great way to spend a Wednesday After Work!here is how it played outRACE REPORT: WAW-Wednesday At Wakefield #4 2005having raced the geared Surly Karate Monkey the Sunday prior at The Fairhill ClassicI felt that it may be a good chance for me to get a little more practice on the geared bikeas well as to take this time to compare my lap times on the Geared Monkey with Suspension vs. the Rigid Monkey with only one Gear

the trip to the race site was as uneventful as usualas I pointed down 14th Street in Norhtwest Washington DC towards Northern Virgina the radio announcer gave a run down of trouble spots in Rush Hour trafficthe mention of slow traffic on I395 South was about as unexpected as if they had said that it will be hot and humid in DC this August

IT IS ALWAYS SLOW AT RUSH HOUR HEADED SOUTH ON I395!and yes... IT IS ALWAYS HOT AND HUMID IN DC DURING AUGUST!

so I maintained my course and managed to arrive 15 miles from my house in roughly 45 minutesthere was just enough time for a few manic hellos... rapid registration... like Superman in a telephone booth I slipped into the City Bikes Orange and Red in my Element (okay, I was naked in the parking lot)... then pedaled down to the start line and waited for the starting gun

at the start line I was greeted by the pleasure of a large Clydesdale group; six people thickorwas that six thick peopleeither way it was good to see more competition on the lineto my mixed pleasure there was my friend and occassional riding partner Chris Redlackas much as I love the competition.... I also hate to loseChris has gotten fast... his performances this year have been fast for any markingfor a Clydesdale... he is super fastI knew that he was going to be gunning for mewhich made for some potential excitement and anxietyChris had raced strong in the Single Speed Class earlier that day and was riding his SS again for this racethose are all factorsbutwe do not weigh the excuses for victory or failure until after the race

in my mind this 6 person race was really a 2 person race

at the sound for the release at the START my rear wheel spun outmaintained composure and balance and stuck with itsprinted with the other racers fighting up the gravel road to be the first into the single trackhaving gears confused me slightlynever sure to hammer hard or spin strong...at the crest of the hill I leading the packas I turned into the single track I took my speed down a bit to regain breath and composurebehind me I could hear the sound of another biker following close behindit was clearly Chris Relackno time to turn around and lookkept my focus forwardyet I was confident it was Redlack

down a small hill and across the creekas I crossed the man made Paris Roubaix style rock path I tried to use my big wheels and big gears to get a little jump on Chris and his 26 inch wheels and single gearentered the woods and saw several female racers ahead of methe trail got tightthere were very few places to passtrying to respectful as possible I looked for a place to passas the racers ahead of me dictated my pace I soon heard Chris on my tail againable to make a pass I moved from racer to racerexperiencing the same cat and mouse game on each riderno chance to gain any ground on Christhe course was too tight to get any distance

on the open powerlines I was able to use the big wheels and the big gearsbut sure enoughback into the woods there was more trafficthen the sound of an aggressive racer on my tailthat same aggressive racer

after passing the majority of the Women's Sport racers there was the ever entertaining obstacle of the Men's Sport Racersat one point a strong and fast women racer was stuck behind a men's sport rider (he fits the demographic)she was trying to make a passhe was not allowing itwith Chris hot on my tail I quickly grew aggravated with the slow paceasked for him to allow "us" to pass....TWO RIDERS ASKING TO GET BYCAN YOU ALLOW US TO GET BY AT THE NEXT AVAILABLE TIMEasked againtried to point out a good place to let us sneak throughthen eventually had to make an aggressive passwent high on the trail to their side passing both racers in one pusha little danger and a great expenditure of energybut just like in city traffic... if they will not give it to ya... ya gotta take it

after these guys there was another racer aheadsure enough Redlack was right behind meas I rode at this next rider's pace I asked politely to make a passthere was no answerI made mention of a good place to make a passstill no answerthen the request againhe was pedaling faster... but still not at my pace... and his pace was sure to drop againthen I told him I was passing on his leftin a classic New York sort of way my warning on his left was an indicator that he needs to block leftas I accelerated past himhe accelerated as wellto this I shouted... YOU ARE SPEEDING UP!just in front of us was a gap between two treesI made the "hole shot"not sure what happened to himI felt a brush of an elbowthen went on with my day

not every pass is eventful enough to recountthere were plenty of racers more than willing to share the trail and allow the passit seemed as it there were enough racers working for Redlack to make things difficult for memade some more uneventful passes then found myself behind another racer forbidding me to passat my requestthere was nothingat my next request this racer told me to FIGHT FOR ITunintentionally in a very SPEED RACER sort of way my front wheel grated against his rear wheelthere was lots of noise... knobby tires slapping and spokes pluckingthe resistence was enough that we started to slowthe contact was unintentionalalthough to keep from crashing I had to steer my front wheel into his rear wheel with great strength to keep from crashingto avoid a crash this rider stoppedwith him stopped I was forced to stop and move around him**there were some words... nothing too damaging... we spoke after the race and he was cool... adrenalin of the momentonly to sprint to the next rider and find him colliding into a tree and then me colliding into himfrom their I dismounted and ran up a little hill with my bike beside me only to find City Bikes Team-mate DT cruising along at a good clip on his IF Mountainbike with a FIXED GEARagain wanting to make a passDT granted me space immediatelyto which I am thankfulto my regret Chris Redlack was able to ride in most every wake I created on each passwe crossed the finishline on lap one and lap two within seconds of each other

the second and third laps went similar to the firstonly with a little less aggression on the passas I was moving slowerand those that I was passing had less energy to put up a fight

in the end the geared bike was no faster than the single speed for me on this courseyetmy body felt far less beaten upperhaps I should put a shock on my single speedah... economics

ended up finishing first in this race and with my three first place finishes in a four series race I was able to win the Clydesdale Class for the WAW seriesafter the award ceremony a good number of the racers went over to a local pub for some food, drink, and an all around good timegot home latebutWednesday At Wakefield only happens once a yearand wellit is definitely worth it

7.20.2005

7.19.2005

Product Review:Crank Brothers Mini-Pumpthe promoters at the Wednesday At Wakefield races are not only good enough to host a Clydesdale Classbutthey also award prizes to this class, even when the field is only a few people deepI was fortunate enough to race two of the last three WAW events(planning for my third tonight)In both of these events I raced my rigid Surley Karate Monkey Single Speed and put in a moderately strong time...my time was strong... but nothing compared to the top Single Speeders earlier in the daybutthere is some truth to the disadvantages of my XL sizeyet in this case I feel that my lack of conditioning/training/riding has been a greater factorin the two races that I placed first in my class I was given a prize of a Wireless Cycling Computera nice little scoreon week two I placed first againagain winning a wirelwess cycling computernot sure what I would do with the second computer I made a trade with Barry, the second place Clydesdale finisherBarry had won his second Crank Brothers Mini Pumphe was glad to make the switch as had as much use for two mini pumps as I have for two wireless computers

on with the review.... CRANK BROTHERS MINI PUMPCrank Brothers makes a good producttheir EggBeater Pedals are quite popular I have been more than satisfied with thier mini tool and was excited to get to try out their pump thus far I have been pleased with it the shaft is a tad short... but there is a VOLUME/PSI control so that you can switch back and forth for a quicker fill and for topping off the final pounds the size and weight of the pump definitely makes it great for riding/racing on my quick little trial it the pump seemed to meet the mark I did not do count of strokes per pound but the small pump makes me think that I could get a CO2 cartridge and race with both using the speed of the CO2 but having the Crank Brother's Mini for backup! it is much better than my old pump which had strengths... neither size nor weigth not being one of them over time I will brow to be more acquainted with this pump

bumper stickers, personalized plates and the identity of the driveryes.... it is true I have a bit of a chip on my shouldersure.... I have become a bit of a grumpy old man on the bikeworking some sort of Andy Rooney sense of thingsalways looking for the next thing to complain aboutonly my complaints tend to circle around the bicycle and how the world treats and responds to cyclists rather than the cost of Penny Candy today and when Penny Candy actually cost a penny

with this chip on my shoulder I always take a look at the make of a car, the car driver, the tag, and any bumper stickers that may be on the passing caronce the car has passed within inches of my lifeI then deliver the appropriate message of hate!

that person becomes the ambassador of their people...people from Illinois become FISH (Fucking Illinois Shit Heads)people from Massachuetts are of course MASS-HOLESthen all the conservative states get a shout out as being RED STATE FUCKSyou get the picture

Rainbow Stickers get a tailored responsethe religious fish people and the pro-lifers get a mouthfuleveryone gets a mouthfulpriest?nun?no one is safeespecially if you are running me down on your way home from Sunday Mass!my feeling on this.... skip church and be a better persongoing to church and still being an asshole does not even let you break even

then there are those with the Kerry/Edwards Bumper Stickers....to them I always think..."the sticker says Kerry... but the driving style says "W" all the way"

then there are the other athletes....I do not want to have words with someone and hear the words... "I ride a bike too..."NO YOU DON'T!you own a bikeyou ride a bike like I play guitar... NOT AT ALL! NOT VERY FREQUENTLY! and NOT VERY WELL!on top of all that...why can athletes from other sports empathize?

just this morning some old guy came out of the Potomac Boat Club and passed me fast and close...take a look in the mirror asshole... you are acting like a power boateryour behavior is no different than the jet skier making a wake and ruining your day out on your little row boatyet somehow you don't get it!transpose the situationtry to be more complex.... or do I need to rent a jet ski to exemplify my point?

same goes to all the other athletes out there....think about itgive people some respectgive people some spaceyou are passing the human form while exceeding the maximum speed designated for that stretch of roadthat by my logic would fall under wreckless drivingreason enough to revoke your driver's licensethink about it

7.18.2005

Race Report: Farihill Classic 2005maybe time to shave... sideburns are clearly not helping with the SPEED!(reader's digest version)the dried dirt and the race numbers were still on my geared Karate Monkey from that fateful race at Michaux where I broke my index fingerI had not been on this particular bicycle in monthsthe wheels rotated without hitting the brakesthe gears seemed to cover the full rangesome air in the deflatted tires and some lube on the chain and I the bike was ready to gopacked up race gear and some race fuel (Red Bull, water, hammer gel... gatorade would be bought in transit)put the loaded bags and the bike by the basement door

summer rain of monsoon proportions attacked the Washington DC area Saturday evening and on through the nightwatched the doppler radar and the reports at Weather.comtunned into the trailspinners.org site for cancelationsmuch to my dismay the race was not canceledthere was a claim at a 5:30 am update to the web pagelooked deeper for excuses not to race but could not find thembefore the alarm could go off I was already awake from the presence of my younger son Grantwith no real excuse I felt committed to the task of racing

rolled up to the race with fellow City Bikes Team member Joe Foleyarrived at the race to find things looking pretty dryit had rained... but it was still pretty drythe showing was a tad sparseapparently the weather kept some racers away

was frustrated that the promoters had dropped the Clydesdale Classbutwas excited to race just the samewas feeling strong and confident

the course had been modified from years prioras well as some changes to the release of the classesthere were several mass startseach mass start was a mad dash on a jeep road leading into a hard left into the single trackeach and every person looking to fight getting caught in the slow trainno one wants to be the last set of legs in a single track catepillar

after some words and some contact of the bikes on that tight left hand turnI on the went into the woods with the lead guys of my class as per usual it took a bit to find a grooveheld my position and pulled away from much of the groupwhile there were times when I was the head of a single track catepillararound mile 9 I was wishing that this was a 10 mile coursearound mile 9 I was thinking that I may want to pull over and leave it as a 9 mile daybut... DNF (Did Not Finish) is not an option!DFL (Dead Fucking Last) has more glory than DNFso I accepted DFL as an option and kept pedalling along

around this point I saw Joe Foley up ahead in his Orange and Red City Bikes Jerseyrather than getting inspired to ride up on his tail I went the opposite direction (so to speak)at this point I resolved myself to riding out the racetaking a non-competitive approach to thingsallowing any and all that wanted to pass to get bybeing far less agressive about passing riders as I approached themthere was no gas in the tank24 miles was starting to sound very long

shockingly the miles did roll bysome miles harder than othersthere were a few crashes and a few spills... but nothing seriousthe heat was brutaldrained my camelbacksucked down water at each and every water stopeven slammed my water bottle filled with Gator-Rage; a Red Bull/ Gatorade mixthe humidity on top of the heat made things beyond brutal.... it was unbearablebutthis is a variable that all who were racing had to deal with

when passing the third and last water stop at mile 19 I was feeling pretty goodnot strongnot fastnot fitnot energizedjust positive that I was going to finish this race

around this time I rolled up on Joe Foleywe rode a few miles togethertill I took another spill and let him roll on into the distance

a number of racers passed as I put my chain back on the bikewith the chain in place I was back on the bikerode out the final miles feeling quirte glad to see the Finishline in the distancerushed from the finishline without checking my time and going directly the nearest water hosewhere I showered, drank excessive amounts of water at high volume, cleaned my bike, and showered again

felt humbledmy finger was not an issuethere was the standard fatigue to the upper bodybut nothing relating to my finger injury or my finger's immobilityit was my legs and my lungsmy speed was not matching up with my fitnessthe muscle is there but no enduranceit was a great wake up call for someone who just registered for the Shenendoah Mountain 100

great racing just the samethere was the question... on a tight winding course such as Fairhill.... would I be faster on a 26 inch wheel bike?this is something I have been meaning to put to a testsimilarly I have considered riding my geared monkey at this week's wednesday at wakefield race to compare Rigid Single Speed Times to a Geared front suspension time

Race Report: Fairhill Classic 2005what it means to race as a husband and father

the day before the race was spent doing some of the classic pre-race thingsnot just collecting and packing cycling gearnot just getting the bike cleaned, tunned up, and running its bestnot just getting race fuel and fluids set asidebut more vital stuff.... husband and father stuff

knowing that I would be gone all Sunday much of Saturday was spent trying to free up the day for my wife... transparently trying to balance the scaleswe each started our day with a little Ashtanga YogaLisa went to the 8AM session while I got the boys dressed, fed, then the three of us hiked the dogseven in the early am it was brutally humida displeasure for allthe hike was short and no one complained about the hike being short... not even the dogs

we returned the dogs to the sanctuary of our air conditioned home, gathered basic kid gear; diapers, wipes, juice boxes, snacks, favorite toy of the day, and loaded up the car for the Saturday Morning Yoga Swapthe Yoga Swap is where Lisa comes out of her class with Yoga mat in hand... passes off the keys and a kiss... points to her car... and I go in for my Yoga Class (an Ashtanga Open Class... a little less intense than a straight Ashtanga Session)after Yoga I had to swing by work to grab a few things... clothing that was stacking up from my commutes and some paintings I purchased from a street vendor(an old Asian gentleman paints children's names in animal characters in a quasi-Chinese stylehad one made for each of "the cousins" in Pittsburgh)

once home I made a rash decisionI asked Dean and Grant if they wanted to go to the museum with meLisa lit up like child on Christmas morning and so did Dean... Grant simply said "yes" as he is only 19 months old and a man of few wordsThe boys got a quick spin through the Air and Space Museum and the dinosaur section of the Museum of Natural history(well not that quick, the event absorbed roughly four and a half hours including travel)on our walk back to the car we dodge intermident summer showerswe planned our travel home such that we would roll past the house.... grab mommy... and head to grandpa's for dinner and a swimwe swam and splashed and then ate some carry out Chineseas we ate the skys grew dark... and not just from the setting sunthe summer storm grew to be more seriousby the onset of night the storms were brewing pretty seriouslymy thoughts of racing grew to be doubtsin the end the rain did not effect the race being heldas much as I had wished the race was not canceledDC got the soaked with the race site got sprayed or maybe misted

after the race I returned home to an empty housemade a few calls and located my wifelogic said one thing.... hot hot hot and humid.... they are swimming at the poolexhausted I went and joined Lisa and the boys at my dad's housefun in the sunsplashing in the poolwanted to napbut the boys wanted to playand wellI did not want abandon Lisa with the kids for the whole dayso I tried to entertain the boys.... or at least one of the boys while lisa entertained the other

Monday night I had to bypass a post work ride as lisa wanted to do another Yoga Classtough to balance the scalesbut we trycertainly I ride my bike more than lisa does Yogabut I try to give her the opportunitiesjust as she tries to give me my opportunities

in the end the kids come before either of our personal interestsI have said it before and will say it againin my cycling pursuits it is far more important for me to be an Expert Dad and a Sport Mountainbiker than to be an Expert Mountainbiker and a Sport Dad!

it was a great weekendohwhile Lisa went to Yoga on Monday night I had my hands fullwe again went to my dad's for dinner and a swim19 month old Grant going off the diving board with a lifejacketandfour year old Dean going off the diving board without a lifejacketDean can not swim.... but that does not stop him from going off the diving board!it is awesomescary.... but awesome

About Me

Name:gwadzilla

Location:Washington DC, (Mount Pleasant NW), United States

if you want to know about me all you need to do is check out my BLOG
it is not the same everyday or everyweek
the focus changes and alters with my moods and with the events of the day and the events of my life